Erica Williams, MS
Doctoral Student, Arizona State University
Title: The Effects of Quinine-Induced Hearing Loss on Speech and Psychophysical Tasks
Mentor: Sid Bacon, PhD, Arizona State University

Abstract: The significant variability in speech recognition abilities for listeners with at least a mild sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) cannot be fully explained by reduced audibility. Thus, many have focused on supratherhold tasks such as frequency selectivity and temporal resolution. Confounds such as age-related changes in frequency selectivity, temporal resolution and speech recognition in addition to multiple and variable sites of hearing loss may have affected these results. Quinine causes a temporary hearing loss due to its action on the OHCs. Because most hearing loss affects at least the OHCs, quinine provides a model to study the effects of hearing loss due to OHC damage on speech recognition, and the relationship between speech recognition and suprathresold measures of frequency selectivity and temporal resolution. It also provides a model to study the effects of hearing loss on compression. Previous results are mixed as to whether hearing loss reduces the magnitude of compression or reduces the range of levels over to address this issue. The results of the proposed experiments will provide important insight into the role of OHCs in hearing and the effect of hearing loss.

Acknowledgement: Thank you to Dr. Sid Bacon for encouraging my interest in research in addition to providing mentorship and support over the past six years.

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